Groups 1, 4, NPA - Egg HarborWATCH RACES LIVE HERE!--Order of EventsPerformance ListsResultsCoverage |
5. Katie Difrancesco of St. John Vianney led the NPA girls 100 dash out of Sectionals with her 12.08 now ranked NJ#4 this season. She will once again face off against Amaya Chadwick of Union Catholic who came second to Difrancesco last weekend with a 12.16 but has run 12.07 NJ#3 this outdoors.
4. Christian Brothers Academy leads eight events heading into the Non-Public A Championships based on sectional performances. Those events aren't in one place either, they are spread around the sprints, distance, relays, and field. Mike Zupko won the 100 and 400 meter dash last weekend running 10.86 and 49.15. Drake Anzano did work in the 800 and 1600 meter winning with a 1:56.73 and 4:22.37. Brian Hill added to those distance scores with a 9:33.38 victory in the 3200 meter. Even more distance points can come in the 4x800 meter where CBA leads the group timed at 8:09.30 during sectionals.
In the field Will Lutkewitte, who has had an explosion of a season, keeps improving and tossed 58-4 in the shot put and 172-6 in the discus to lead both categories for NPA. Expect even more ground to fall victim this weekend.
3. Paul VI are state leaders in the 4x400 meter from their 3:16.53 early in the season. They ran 3:23.66 to lead NPA in Sectionals and that was missing two of of their starting relay legs. Keep an eye on these guys to set themselves up with a good seed for the Meet of Champions. Catch our Workout Wednesday feature with the team here.
2. Alyssa Wilson will continue her glorious season in the throws this weekend at Group Championships. If you ever wanted a chance to see a state record in person this may be one of the best you'll get as she seems to break her own record each time she heads to the circle! Watch her most recent state record US#2 all-time throw of 55-1.25 embedded above.
She led all sectional performances combined last week with a 54-2.5 in the shot put and 161-7 in the discus. She currently holds the state record in both events thanks to her 175-1 in the discus at Ocean County Championships and her 55-1.25 in the shot put at Shore Conference Championships (video above).
1. Sydney McLaughlin and Union Catholic. We know when she steps on the track the crowd will be at full attention both in the stands and those watching the LIVE feeds.
So what to watch when this national caliber New Jersey great gets set? Well the meet records in every event she might run this weekend of course. She qualified in the 400 meter hurdles, 400 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and we could potentially see her in the 4x400. All of those events are potentials as an athlete doesn't have to run what they qualify for if they want to concentrate on specific events.
One of her best disciplines, the 400 meter hurdles, she qualified for winning her section with a 58.35 last weekend and has a season best time of 56.99 from Union County Champs. Her PR came in 2015 during her World Youth Championship victory where she smoked the track for a 55.28.
In the 400 meter dash she holds the indoor national record with a time of 51.84, she has run 52.97 so far this outdoors. In the 200 meter she recently set the Union County Championships meet record running 23.53 which is a career PR.
McLaughlin already holds the NPA meet records in the 400 meter hurdles with her 58.24 in 2014, the 400 meter dash with her 2015 time of 52.59, and was part of the record setting 4x400 meter squad who ran 3:47.64 last year. The new record for McLaughlin that we could see is in the 200 meter dash currently set at 23.75 by Myasia Jacobs of Paramus Catholic from 2010.
Union Catholic doesn't stop there however, they have other big names on both the girls and boys sides.. Perry Christie has emerged as one of the best boys jumpers this state has to offer leading the NPA in three events from Sectionals: 6-4 high jump, 21-10.5 long jump, and 45-8.25 triple jump.
For the girls Amaya Chadwick ran 14.13 last weekend, the second fastest time of all the sectionals combined and NJ#2 this season. Tyler Scott shouldn't go unnoticed in the field where she had the second highest clearance of the weekend at 5-6 winning the NPA South title. And then there is always that incredible 4x400 meter squad who owns the state lead at 3:42.59 from that incredible Penn Relays run where they took third in the Championship of America race.
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